How do you think the Season is going so far? I’m pretty pleased. I have mixed feelings about the sudden death round. On one hand, it was dramatic, especially when it came time to choose the wildcards. The kids had one chance to make an impression. Some of them rose to the occasion–others not so much.
If there needed to be a compromise between the Top 36 and the Top 24, I think Nigel and co. came up with a decent compromise. The Top 36 gave us a variety of contestants, who we barely remembered by the time the competition began. The Top 24 made us a little TOO familiar with the contestants. By the time the Top 9 and 8 rolled around, the ratings would dip as viewers tired of the contestants.
But, there’s no doubt the outcome would have been different with the old Top 24 format–especially if the contestants were allowed instruments. Tim Halperin, Julie Zorrilla and Kendra Chantelle would have probably made it to the Top 13/12. In another season, Tim could have won. Poor guy tried out in the wrong season. I got the sense that the judges wanted finalists who could survive without their instruments. Julie and Tim seemed lost without their pianos.
One other little point I’d like to make. Remember The Hollywood Reporter’s 8 Big Changes article back in January? t Entertainment Weekly quickly put out a report refuting some of the info, but as it turns out, nearly everything in the THR article came to pass. Hm.
Oh..and for all that is Good and Holy…will somebody teach these new kids how to use twitter? The endless RTing of their fans’ tweets has made me turn off RTs for nearly all of them. Oh, except that one Idolette last night, who shall remain nameless coughashthoncough, was using quotes so her twitter party would show up in everyone’s freaking timeline.
Argh. The contestants are campaigning like politicians on social media, and I’m not liking it very much so far. I preferred the old days when they were muzzled.
Moving on…we’ve got a Top 13 singing songs this week from their favorite artists. That’s a pretty wide-open theme, so everybody should be able to find songs in their comfort zone. After the jump, check out my Idol power rankings. Post your list in comments.
The guys hold the Top 3 spots. With the guys as strong as they are, the girls–always at a disadvantage–are going to have to fight their way to the top.
Rankings after the JUMP…
These aren’t a list of my favorites, it’s a “power” ranking. Who’s got the juice this week? Here’s what I think:
1. Scotty McCreery – I don’t know if Scotty can win, but he’s got a deep, arresting voice, an authentic connection to country music and an endearing personality. He’s at the top of my list this week.
2. Paul McDonald – Dude knows how to play the game. He’s an folk/alt-country guy who knows how to make good TV.
3. Casey Abrams – He’s not the best singer of this bunch, but he’s got a great personality and is fun to watch.
4. Pia Toscana – She came out of nowhere with her big big vocals, pretty much blowing everyone away. She’s going to go deep.
5. Lauren Alaina – Lauren has been pimped heavily, but her big vocals and down-home personality have also gotten her noticed.
6. James Durbin – James is our first heavy-metal Idol. He’s polarizing, but if he can reign in his vocals a bit, he could go far.
7. Jacob Lusk – Jacob is our Gospel Idol this year. Like James he sometimes has a penchant for oversinging. But, he knows how to wring emotion out of a song. He could go farther than expected.
8. Thia Megia – Thia has an impressive set of pipes, but I’m not feeling an emotional connection to the songs she sings. I wouldn’t count her out. She could be the Jasmine Trias of Season 10.
9. Stefano Langone – I’d rate Stefano at the bottom of the list for now. But if he continually pulls out performances like his emotionally charged Wildcard spot, he might stick around.
10. Haley Reinhart – I don’t know what to think of Haley. She got in the Top 10 based on a performance that was trashed by the judges. She must have a fan base, right?
11. Naima Adedapo – Naima is likable and she’s got style and unique vocals. But I don’t think Idol nation has hopped on her train at this point. We’ll see.
12. Karen Rodriguez – She got enough votes to make the Top 10, but she’s going to have to show a bit more personality if she wants to stick around.
13. Ashthon Jones – Ashthon got awesome vocal chops and a spunky diva attitude, but I’ll be surprised if she makes the tour. In this group of personalities, she’s going to have a hard time standing out.
